by Mat Churchill


A local film producer has scrambled to meet a deadline from Tourism Queensland to showcase our region to the world, with the help of tourists who are enjoying the January sun.

David Vivian of DVDesigns received the call from TQ on the morning of 7 January.

"It was 10.30 on Friday morning and they said they need help to bring awareness that not all parts of Queensland are flood affected," David recalls vividly.

With a deadline of just two and a half days, David collected his three cameras and headed for some of our region's most recognisable tourist destinations including Silky Oaks Lodge, Meridien Marina, Four Mile Beach, Daintree Station, and of course the Great Barrier Reef.

"I hit the road at high noon on the Friday for the Sunday night deadline," he said. "Talking to tourists, I didn't have to prod them at all, it was candid and off-the-cuff."

The result of his efforts; a three minute video of tourists soaking up the summer sun in Tropical North Queensland, not only dispelling the myth that the entire State was underwater, but also that it doesn't matter what the calendar says, our region is always worth a visit.

The video was delivered to TQ on time, and has been getting views ever since. The video is also available on You Tube (having received 423 hits to date), tourismportdouglas.com.au, and right here on The Newsport Daily (top left of article).

And the parting message from David is simple but effective; "Pump it, blog it, twitter it, email it. Distribution is king. It's volume, you can't beat it.